Police gear up to enforce Public Gatherings Act in mid August

The Royal Thai Police has warned that as the Public Gatherings Act is due to be enforced on August 13, activist groups need to strictly adhere to new regulations stipulated by the act.

According to the Police spokesman, the act requires organizers of a rally to notify police in the area 24 hours prior to the event. If local police object to the staging of the rally, organizers are allowed to appeal to higher-ranking authorities. Protesters who violate the imposing ban will have the rally broken up by police.

The Public Gatherings Act consists of 35 sections which also include bans on gatherings within 50 metres from the Government House, the parliament or the court. The act is designed to minimize the impact of rallies on the public.

The police added that the act also stipulated that any crowd control plans must be approved by the cabinet before being implemented on protesters. Any violation of the rule will result in a jail term of 6 months to 10 years.